Frenkel & Frenkel Blog in Dallas, Texas

Pharmacy Error Leads to Lawsuit

The family of a child filed suit stating pharmacy error after their daughter received an incorrect dosage as listed on medication, says Frenkel & Frenkel.

The family of a now 9-year old girl whose prescription for an anti-seizure medication was labeled with incorrect dosage when she was 4 filed suit against the pharmacy in U.S. District Court in Georgia. The lawsuit alleges that the pharmacy was negligent when it labeled the prescription, causing the child’s mother to give her a dose that was five times more than prescribed. Seizure Medication The child began suffering seizures shortly after birth, and at the age of 4, while being treated by a Macon doctor, was given a prescription for Keppra, a popular anti-seizure medication. The doctor’s office phoned in the prescription to Abbeville Discount Pharmacy, instructing the pharmacist that the child should take two milliliters twice per day of the drug. The instructions on the bottle told the parents to give the child two teaspoons of the drug twice per day. Two milliliters is equal to less than one-half teaspoon. Effects of Overdose According to court documents, as soon as her mother gave her the dosage, the child suffered a serious seizure, which required immediate medical treatment at a local hospital. The child remained catatonic, and required transfer to Children’s Hospital at The Medical Center of Central Georgia, where she remained unconscious. When she awoke, she could not walk and her weight dropped to about 17 or 18 pounds. She was discharged three days later, and still suffers side effects due to the incorrect dosage. Pharmacy Denies Wrongdoing The pharmacist, Elizabeth C. Cannon, who is named in the suit, denies wrongdoing in the incident. She says that she took the call from a nurse in the doctor’s office and filled the prescription exactly as instructed. Cannon also claims she repeated the dosage instructions back to the nurse, per pharmacy guidelines. When the error of a medical professional is suspected as the cause or a contributing factor in an incident that causes injury or death, a medical malpractice claim may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free initial consultation regarding an incident where injuries may have been caused or worsened by a medical error.